December 21, 2004

Chinese strikers use SMS and blogs for their struggle

Ten days ago, 12,000 workers went on strike in Shenzhen at the factory of a supplier of Wal-Mart.

The hordes of young women employed here say they are required to work 11-hour days, including three hours of mandatory overtime, in order to earn a basic monthly salary of 484 yuan, or about US$58. The women say they must spend nearly half their wage on the drab company dormitories where, as migrants, they must live," the article reprinted in the IHT says.

While the women are not organized in a union, contacts have improved thanks to SMS-messages.